For My Mum

My mum isn’t 60. There are some children at school who have old mums, but not my mum.

My mum is young, and beautiful and I don’t really know how old adults are but she’s younger than Dad but older than her sister Kate, I think.

My mum has a long denim skirt, she has cool short hair and she loves Chanel Number 5.

My mum isn’t a bloody taxi service.

My mum sings along to M People and Curtis Stigers in the kitchen.

My mum always does our birthday parties at home and plans homemade games.

My mum is sick of telling us to tidy up our rooms.

My mum loves taking us to buy books before we go on holiday.

My mum loves croissants and wine and swimming pools and us. Most of all my mum loves us.

And suddenly, I turn around and she’s all grown up.

It seems like only yesterday she was letting me stay up late to watch Due South with her

It seems like only yesterday she was letting us think her whole life revolved around us…

Although that seems like only yesterday, I think my mum’s gone and grown up.

Here she is at 60.

And I wonder what she’s going to do next. Now we need her in less time consuming ways, I wonder what she’s going to do next.

I can’t wait to see what she does next.

This woman who raised the three people I love most in the world, if she can do that, what else is she going to do?

My mum is going to carry on being that teacher children hug in the playground.

My mum will be Grandma, whether her Grandsons like it or not.

My mum might find herself a dog…

My mum will keep being an anchor for people at her church.

My mum’s going to be in love.

My mum’s going to come with us to see plays, and musicals.

My mum might find another house to make our home…

My mum will keep making friends with checkout assistants, and shop-girls and, basically, anyone to whom she can chat.

My mum will carry keep making her badminton team a lighter, sillier more inviting place to be.

My mum might learn a new sport…

My mum’s going to play loads more stupid games on her computer.

My mum is going to travel the world… See Sri Lanka and the Caribbean and the sea and the sky.

My mum is all the ages she’s been, while she scraped us off all the walls and floors we fell on. Please don't retire that scraper too soon though, mum, we're going to need that some more.

However old she’s been, she’s been funny and frightened and brave and practical and kind.

And now she is 60.

Thank you for everything you’ve been, mum. We’re so grateful, but mainly, we just can’t wait to see what you do next.